He Came Back To me
by Musicalroza999
Summary: Takes place during Spirit Bound. What would've happened if a mysterious new character had knocked some sense into Dimitri? M for language and angst.
1. Dimitri's Cousin

*excerpt from Spirit Bound*  
Dimitri… was not a Strigoi.  
And he was weeping.  
*Skips to different except*  
"Rose, you can't go." This time the sadness in Lissa's voice was mirrored through the bond, flooding into me. "It's not just that Dimitri didn't ask to see you. He asked specifically not to see you."  
*End excerpt*

RPOV

I wasn't paying much attention to anything as I roamed around the court. How could he NOT want to see me? It made no sense. He loved me! More than anything I had to believe that. I wasn't paying any attention at all and before I knew it I had rammed into something as I crossed the courtyard.  
"Manda! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!" said the girl with whom I'd collided.  
"No, it was my fault. Sorry." I said distractedly.  
"Wait!" she cried "You dropped your wallet!" I turned around and almost ran into her again. For a guardian who's supposed to always be on guard I seemed to be losing my touch.  
"I'm sorry" the girl said, "but do you know which way Clearwater Villas are? I'm new here and I don't know much of anything. They've changed all the buildings so much since the last time I visited." she asked. She seemed friendly, so I made an attempt to clear my mind. I would NOT think about Dimitri.  
"Yeah, they're to the left of here, and back farther. I think you passed them up." I said finally taking in her appearance. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on why. She was Moroi, with shoulder length dark hair and bright blue eyes.  
"Thank you SO much! I'm such a spaz when it comes to directions! I'm Ekatarina Belikova by the way, but you can call me Katia or Kath, either one." She smiled warmly at me.  
"Rose H-wait, Belikova? Do you know Dimitri Belikov?" I asked. I figured it had to be a coincidence. He never mentioned having any other family than the ones I met in Baia.  
"Dimka? He was my cousin. Did you- Oh! Are you Rose Hathaway?" She asked and I was confused at how she knew me.  
"Yes. Did he tell you about me? Because he never said anything about a cousin."  
"Oh, um… yeah… Actually he wouldn't stop talking about you. I stopped calling him a few months after he met you and resorted to sending emails. At least that way I could skim all the long 'Rose did this, Rose did that' stuff. I mean, you sound awesome and all, but there's only so much I can take!" she laughed. " But no, he wouldn't have mentioned me. You see, I'm his father's brother's daughter. He didn't want the rest of the family to know we were talking, too many bad memories."  
"Oh… okay… that's…" I stuttered half coherently. He had a cousin? I didn't understand why he wouldn't want me to know about her, unless he'd been worried that I would let something slip to his family someday We'd been so close- "Wait..." the realization of the rest of what she said dawned on me. "He talked about me? What did he say?"  
"Other than everything you ever said, did, or thought? Yeah… he was more than a little obsessed. I think it was because he had to hide it from everyone. He tried hiding it from me at first too, but I saw through him from day one. He doesn't— didn't— know that I'm working on a degree in psychology, I didn't want him to stop talking to me. It was good for him to get things out. I'm so sorry about what happened, I know how much you guys loved each other. I know I miss him tons too, and I hardly ever saw him. I can only imagine what it's like for you." She said quietly. She seemed genuinely compassionate and understanding, much the same as the rest of the Belikova's had been. Her words didn't make much sense to me though.  
"You didn't hear? He's back." I said. The words sounded strange to me. I was still having trouble believing it myself.  
"Back? As in in America or what?" I looked up and saw panic in her eyes. I had been doing my best to look away since the first time I saw her, I didn't want my eyes to give away how messed up I was at that moment. When I finally looked in her eyes I saw what I'd been missing the first time, what was so familiar about her. She reminded me so much of Dimitri it hurt. Her hair, the shape of her eyes- it was so like him. Even her attitude was the same. She had the same compassionate look that Dimitri got when he took care of someone. I tried not to think about the fact that from the way Dimitri was acting I wouldn't ever see him look at me like that again.  
"Back from Strigoi. Lis- Vasilisa Dragomir did it." I said.  
"How? I mean, with spirit of course, but… He's really back?" She said cautiously. She had tears in her eyes and I knew she was feeling what I felt a few hours ago. She was afraid to believe it. I nodded, but I realized once again she'd said something shocking.  
"How do you know about spirit?!" I asked.  
"My father was… connected… It's a long story. Anyway, have you seen him? Are they letting him see people?"  
"No, I haven't…" I said, and I knew my voice was bitter.  
"Why? You say it like… Manda! He says he doesn't want to see you, doesn't he? Isn't that JUST like him! Hurting other people to atone for something he did. That little mudak!" I recognized the Russian curses and her tone of voice. She was channeling Dimitri when he was being protective.  
"I don't understand why…" My voice broke. She put her arm around me and tried to comfort me, again reminding me of him.  
"He's being an idiotic douche bag!" she said, squeezing me. "Don't worry, hun. I PROMISE I will make him talk to you. That boy needs some tough love right now. Look at me." I turned my head to look at her. "If he doesn't want to talk you after I'm done with him then you need to find a way to make him see you. Once I'm done he'll either break or be so close to breaking that seeing you will put him over the edge. I promise you that he loves you. Nothing could ever, ever change that! I know him, and I know the way he spoke of you. A love like that can't be broken." She said. I felt a little better It sounded stupid and sappy and romantic, but it was just what I needed to keep my hopes up, dangerous as it was.  
"Thank you." I said, a tear making its way down my cheek. Damn it! Why the HELL did I have to start crying in the middle of the court. My pain gave way to annoyance, which was slightly better and also stopped me crying before I conceded any more tears.  
"Here." She gave me a tissue that she had pulled from her purse. "Go back to your place for a while. I'm going to go beat some sense into Dimka. I'll see you around, okay?" She said before walking off towards the prison.  
**A/N: Welcome back my darlings! If you're one of my old loyal readers I recommend you re-read this all again. I've officially finished editing what I had up and now I'm going to start writing. I have a clear idea of where I'm going and how I'm going to get there, I just need to sit down and map the timeline, which I'll do tonight. An actual new chapter, not just a re-written/re-done one will be up in a few days! The very end plot has been removed because I didn't like how it was working out, but I think the new plot line is much more well written. I hope you guys like!  
**


	2. Tough Love

DISCLAIMER: Me: Richelle, I'll love you forever and ever and EEVERRRR if you let me have VA! Just for a weekend you know? I'll be nice about it too, I'll consult you on (almost) everything! I won't even bring Tatiana back from the dead so we can kill her again!  
Richelle: I'm sorry, no! Do you honestly think I'd give up Adrian and Dimitri?  
Me: *sobs uncontrollably*  
Big thank you to MadameRozaBelikova for letting me borrow her idea for creative disclaimers…. Well, I know you didn't really LET me, so I hope it's okay! *hopeful smile*

KPOV

I marched right up to the prison guard. "I'm here to see Dimitri Belikov."  
"And you are? We aren't letting in anyone he doesn't want to see." He said.  
"Tell him it's Katia. He'll want to see me." I said. The guard leaves for a few minutes.  
"Right this way Ms. Belikova." He said, walking away.  
"Told you so…" I muttered under my breath and the guardian just rolled his eyes.  
"Katia!" exclaimed Dimitri. He looked happy to see me, but I could see the pain underlying it. After everything he'd been through I figured it would be omnipresent and I also knew, both from school and experience, what it's like to hate yourself so much that you feel you deserve the pain.  
"Dimka." I did my best to say it with enthusiasm, but my voice fell far short.  
"You're angry. Why?" He asked.  
"Well, I was going to do the pleasantries first, but you want to cut to the chase!" I said sarcastically, half rolling my eyes.  
"Ekatarina." He wasn't mad, but his voice was stern. I suppose he was a bit surprised not to be greeted with complete happiness. However, I also knew that I couldn't stop him hating himself— that was his job— so I'd have give him enough tough love to get him to see the one person who might be able to help him along.  
"Why won't you see Rose? Do you have ANY idea how upset she is? She started crying in the MIDDLE OF THE COURT today! You IDIOT! She's not the strong girl you told me about right now and it's YOUR FAULT!" I yelled. I knew I was being harsh with him, but I couldn't risk not making him feel guilty enough to see her.  
"I… I know… I'm sorry. It just… Everything I did to her! Everything I did to everyone. I won't be able to look at her without seeing it. She deserves so much better." Then he did the impossible. He started crying. My resolve weakened for a moment but I knew I had to see this through for his Dimitri's sake.  
"Dimitri! Why can't you see it? Two wrongs do NOT make a right! How many times did you tell me that over the years? She LOVES you and you love her! What else is there? The best way to atone for anything you did to her is to make her life as happy as possible? And what are you doing besides making her more miserable and saying that that will make up for what you did? It's idiotic! She doesn't blame you for what you did because it WASN'T YOU! If some random demon takes over a body and kills someone or tortures someone it wasn't the person whose body they stole's fault! It's like telling a rape victim it's their own fault! You might not be able to look at her without seeing what you did to her now, but in time you will. You have to try. She's the only one who can help you find peace Dimka. Doesn't she deserve to be happy?" I tried not to yell and managed a decent amount of the time.  
"I don't want to find peace. I don't deserve it." I guess he could see me about to cut him off because he quickly continued. "But you're right. I shouldn't do this to her." He said quietly. I knew he was trying his best to avoid saying that he'd talk to her and making that commitment, but I also didn't press the subject. He'd come around to the idea eventually. I just hoped she'd find her way in so I wouldn't have to come yell at him anymore.  
"That's my Dimka. I love you, Cuz." I walked over to the bars and hugged him (which was no easy feat). I saw all the guardians tense as I did so and I stepped away quickly.  
"I'll see you later my Katia-oshibka." I walked away from the prison hoping that everything was going to work out, and knowing I'd done what I could. What I hadn't counted on was the fact there was another person inextricably involved in this**.**

**A/N: This one was already mostly done, so here it is! **


	3. He Finally Came Back to Me

(Yet another) Disclaimer: I borrow my ideas for disclaimers from MadameRozaBelikova. She is an amazing author and everyone reading my story should check out hers. Just saying! Also, this chapter contains a fair amount of material exerpted from the books, however the POV has been changed.  
Richelle: Ha ha! I own ALL of Vampire Academy land! You're lucky that I'm letting you mess with it.  
Me: *sobs* You don't have to be so MEAN!  
Lissa: Awie, come here Kali, it'll be all right! Richelle, how many times have I told you to BE NICE!

DPOV

Katia was wrong. I couldn't see Rose. I'd hurt her too much. I knew, I just KNEW that every time she saw me she'd see what I did to her. No matter how many new memories we made she'd always remember those ones. It was still me. Strigoi or not, it was still ME that did those things to her. I couldn't…. no, never…. If I didn't see her then I could keep it up. I could pretend that I didn't love her, that I didn't need her more than air if I didn't have to see how much I was hurting her. A little hurt would be nothing if she found someone who she was happier with, someone who never hurt her. Someone with whom she could wake up every morning and not remember the torture he put her through. God, that thought killed. I didn't want to think of her loving anyone else, anyone else hands touching her beautiful body, her sharing herself with anyone else like she did with me in the cabin... I had to stop thinking those things. I couldn't keep her. It wouldn't be fair. I would never look at her and see forgiveness in her eyes, I just knew it. And even if I did I didn't deserve it— I had hurt her too much. I would never forgive myself.  
I heard guards bringing in someone. I didn't want to turn around but I also didn't know who it was.  
"Can I get a little privacy?" I heard a voice ask. It was her, I knew that beautiful, warm voice anywhere. But it couldn't be her. There was no way. I had made SURE that she wouldn't come. Oh God, help me.  
"Official orders. Two guardians have to be posted here at all times." I heard one of my guards say. Thank God. Maybe if she couldn't speak to me alone she'd leave.  
"She's a guardian. So am I. Let us go. The rest can wait by the door," Said a voice. Mikhail, of course. After losing Sonya he must have felt obligated to help my Roza. NO! I couldn't think of her like that. She wasn't my Roza anymore. She was Rosemarie Hathaway, someone from my past. Someone whom I'd hurt too badly to be around anymore.  
"D-"Was all I'd heard. The rest had cut out into squeaks from her tears. My body went rigid. I was hurting her again! I'd promised myself I'd do whatever it took to keep from hurting her again. But still... maybe a little bit of pain would make her happier. She'd be able to move on without me.  
"Dimitri." She said. She had gotten control of herself enough to speak relatively clearly. "It's… me." Of course it was. Did she think I wouldn't recognize her voice anywhere?  
"No." I said. I couldn't force any more out. The pain was just too much. I was hurting, she was hurting. I'd caused too much pain. I had to pretend that I didn't love her. I had to pretend that I could just act like our love never happened and move on. The truth was, it was all very fuzzy. It didn't feel like I did it, exactly, but then again I did. It was more that I'd witnessed it, trapped in my mind. But not matter what it seemed like everything was telling me that I was responsible. I should have been stronger or stopped it. I was helpless, a hostage in my own body, being forced to commit atrocities. I couldn't let it go. Forgiveness was too far out of my grasp.  
"No what?" She asked. "As in, no, it's not me?" Just like her. I couldn't help it, I reacted just like I would if everything that had happened never happened. I exhaled in an almost sigh, forcing back a smile. She wasn't making this easy on me.  
"No, as in I don't want to see you. They weren't supposed to let you in." I couldn't keep the conflicting emotions I was feeling out of my voice.  
"Yeah. Well, I kind of found a work-around." She said. She was so much herself, so much the Roza I remembered. And she was different just the same. Her voice was older, stronger.  
"Of course you did." I knew that with everything I had done I could never be the same, but even that wasn't enough. I had to keep pretending like I couldn't go on. Katia was wrong, I couldn't act like it never happened. Or even act like it had happened and try to move on. It was too big. I deserved all the pain I got, I deserved the same pain I caused all of my victims, their families, my Roze.  
"I had to see you. I had to know if you were okay." She cared. She cared so much it hurt but I couldn't show it. I had to put up… what did she call it? My guardian mask— that was it.  
"I'm sure Lissa's updated you." I said coolly. I couldn't let her see. I knew she'd use it against me and it would be the last straw.  
"I had to see for myself." Again, of course she did. She needed me as much as I her. NO! ?! I couldn't put myself first. She'd be happier without me! I had to believe that she'd be better off in a relationship where she could look at the man without seeing all that he did to her.  
"Well, now you see." I said simply.  
"All I see is your back." I couldn't turn. I wasn't strong enough, not yet.  
"I don't want you here." I said, my voice cold and flat. I had to pretend. Just a few more minutes, she would leave. "I don't want to see you." I couldn't. She paused for a moment. I knew her well enough to know that she was reading me. She was seeing what it would take to break me. I knew she could do it, if she tried hard enough.  
"You can't ignore me. You owe me. I saved you." I knew she did. Lissa couldn't have done everything without her. I had to pretend, to play the part. For my love's sake.  
"Lissa saved me."  
"How do you think she got to that point? How do you think she learned how to save you? Do you have any idea what we-what I-had to go through to get that information? You think me going to Siberia was crazy? Believe me, you haven't even come close to seeing crazy. You know me. You know what I'm capable of. And I broke my own records this time. You. Owe. Me." She was mad. I'd hurt her once again. She was right, I did know what she was capable of, and if she broke her own records this time... Oh God, what had she done to save me? I did owe her, I owed her everything. I would just have to be strong enough to try to repay her how she deserved.  
"Then the best thing I can do is-" I cut off. I'd finally turned around enough to see her, and my God. She was an angel, sent from my own personal heaven. She'd matured since I last saw her, even more so in the few months since I'd seen her with Strigoi eyes. She was a beautiful woman, so beautiful and still so sexy. Duty meant everything to me, but so did this woman. Katia was right, I could tell just from seeing her again, comparing it to my… it's memories. That wasn't all me. I wasn't capable of looking at her without love, without need. That monster had looked at her like an object. Love, that's what made me different from it. I could appreciate her beauty, love her.  
I still hated myself for all that I'd done, even if I hadn't been in control. I knew we couldn't just move on, but that didn't mean that we couldn't be together. I'd be atoning in pain when I thought of what I had done to her and I wouldn't be hurting her worse. I knew I didn't deserve to heal, but maybe I would anyways, with her there. She could help me through this, I saw that now. With her there maybe I would be strong enough to meet this head on, to find ways to atone instead of hiding. Roza had always been my strength, just as I had always been hers. We belonged together.  
"Roza," I changed the course of my words. Everything changed in that second. I moved quickly towards the bars.  
"Dimitri..." She said softly, closing the rest of the distance. We kissed through the bars. I didn't think the other guardians were watching, but even if they were I didn't care.  
"You never told me your cousin. Although she seemed like she'd come through. She seemed like you." She seemed annoyed at the fact that I'd never told her about her and my guilt mounted at having hurt her again, but before the end of her sentence she smiled and the weight released again.  
"I'm sorry about that. I'm glad you got to meet her, though." I said quietly.  
"I love you Dimitri, more than anything. Never leave me again." She whispered, changing the subject.  
"I love you too, my Roza. I will never leave you, I promise." We kissed again, and it was like the entire world was put on pause. She was mine and I was hers. Maybe, just maybe, I could find salvation in our love.  
"Visiting time is up. Guardian Hathaway, Princess Dragomir is waiting for you on the stairs." The moment was interrupted by a guard calling from the door. I knew it'd hard to be away from her, but I also knew she'd come to visit soon. I stole one last kiss through the bars.  
"I love you Roza" I said.  
"Forever, Comrade." She called back and I laughed quietly. I used to think that nickname was annoying. But knowing what it was like to be away from her, I didn't think she could ever annoy me again.  
"What happened?" I could hear Lissa on the stairs. The sounds were muffled, but I could make them out.  
"He came back to me."

**A/N: I could have made this a really great oneshot, reading it again. Oh well!**


	4. Someone for Everyone

DISCLAIMER: Lissa: Richelle, if you can't play nice then I am going to overthrow you, take over the books, name myself queen, and sick Christian on you!  
Christian: OH! Do it Lissa! That sounds like FUN!  
Lissa: So do you really want to be mean like that all the time?  
Richelle: I guess not. But I still own everything.

APOV

As I walked along the sidewalk through the woods down into the park, I thought of all that had happened in the last hour. I'd lost the only woman I'd ever loved to the man that she'd've always belonged to, no matter how much she acted like it could be me. I wasn't dumb, I'd never thought that it could actually be ME, but I could pretend like it was enough. I'd hoped (selfishly, I know) that he wouldn't come back to her. That she wouldn't have much choice but to be with me. Then Lissa came to me an hour ago.  
"He came back to her." She said quietly, crushing my whole world. I didn't know what else I should have expected. She was never really mine. And so I walked, making my way to the park that I knew would be deserted at this hour. It was very, very early- twilight, but the trees shaded the park. I sat on the swings and moped, bottle of vodka in my hand. I needed to drown my sorrows. I wasn't drunk enough to be angry yet, but somehow I knew I wouldn't be. This just hurt too much for anger.

KPOV

I saw him sitting on the swings- Adrian Ivashkov. I'd heard rumors about the fact that he had been involved, or at least trying to be involved, with Rose after Dimitri was changed. He had a bottle in his hands and he looked smashed out drunk. He looked so depressed. I felt guilty, even though I knew that Dimka and Rose were meant for each other. I wish it had been easier, there hadn't been anyone caught in the crossfire. I had to do something, so I walked up to him and said hey.  
"What's your name?" He asked. His voice sounded dull, but somehow brighter than I thought it would.  
"Ekaterina Belikova. Or Katia. Or Kathryn. Or whatever really, I'm not too partial." I laughed a little.  
"Nice to meet you Katie, I'm Adrian Ivashkov. Are you related to him?" I could see the pain in his eyes.  
"If by "him" you mean Dimitri, then yes. I heard she went back to him. I'm really sorry." I tried to push the truth of that statement through to him, but he just rolled his eyes and went back to drinking. I made a decision then. I grabbed the bottle away. "Come on. We're going to take your mind off this without you killing yourself." I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. He tried to resist, but I insisted.  
I pulled him to my car and drove him to the only roller rink at court. I knew we wouldn't be able to skate until he sobered up, so I sat him down and went to get him some food. About an hour later, when he was finally alert enough he asked me, "Why are you doing this?"  
"Because she wasn't the one for you. You need to cheer up, or at least not die of alcohol poisoning. It's not the end of the world, you shouldn't wreck yourself over anyone, you're better than that. Besides, don't you want her to be happy?"

APOV

I just stared across the table at her. I still couldn't believe that I actually saw this girl. She was beautiful. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. Even with how torn up I was over Rose, I still SAW her. Which was odd, Rose had me so whipped that I didn't ever see other girls, not really. They were there but I had no interest. They might as well have been guys for all I noticed them. Suddenly she got up from the table, grabbing my hands to pull me up. I fought back a smile.  
"Come on. We're going to go skate." She left for a minute to go get the rentals for us. I took the time to think about everything that had happened in the past few hours. Why was this girl being so nice to me? She was related to that cradle robber that stole Rose away from me. In my thoughts I managed to glaze over the fact that I happen to be a few years older than Rose as well. I didn't want to think of her, or how much I missed her, but it was hard not to. I especially didn't want to think about the fact that I always knew it was Belikov with her, him that she loved, even when he was gone. I hated the fact that once he was back it was just a matter of time before she went back to him- it had never been me.  
I watched Katie as she went to get the skates. I watched her as she put them on, that time not being able to withhold a smile. If I could ever forget about Rose, maybe I could be happy. Maybe even happier than I ever was with her. If I could just find someone to be completely mine, someone I didn't have to share...  
We went out into the rink and Katie kept falling. Even as a spoiled royal I was raised to be a gentleman, so I tried my hardest to catch her and helped her up when I couldn't. Eventually she took a spill that brought us both down. She fell on top of me, knocking us over. I looked into her eyes and was surprised by what I saw. I saw someone I was beginning to feel a connection with, and yet she was completely different from Rose. She had seemed fearless all night, but at that moment she seemed shy. I could tell her heart didn't belong to anyone, and it looked as though it were open for the taking. I decided it was then or never, I made my move. I kissed her. I could see her surprise, but she kissed me back. She looked at me, and it was like I could see into her soul. I could see she'd been hurt before but the fearlessness was back.  
"I'm not a rebound. I'm not Rose. If you want to be with me then you want to be with me, no games." I surprised myself by letting her in as well.  
"I don't want someone like her. I still need to heal and work things out, but I do like you. Even though I barely know you, I want to know you better." the look on her face was unreadable. Finally, after an agonizing minute, she stood and held her hand out for me.  
"Okay." she smiled and helped me up. Neither of us wanted to be alone just yet, after everything that had happened, so we decided to stay in her apartment. I had a sneaking suspiscion she also wanted to keep an eye on me for alcohol poisoning. When we got there she quickly left to get a shower and ready for bed, leaving me alone to explore the place. I looked over her pictures, the few that were unpacked. She was obviously new to Court. There were a few of her with friends, and the rest of her with family, and in many different locations. It was obvious she had traveled a lot.  
I made my way into her bedroom and saw that it was the most unpacked of anything. She had small glass figurines and trinkets scattered around, bookshelves full of books so large that I didn't think I could read her whole collection if I had the rest of my life. There were also plenty of girly things as well- makeup and hair supplies, clothes scattered around.  
This girl... this woman. She was different. When I met Rose she hadn't cared that I was royal- it was a slap in the face. But Rose had been harsh, sarcastic. Katie was so different. Compassionate, caring. I could also see in her aura that she seemed to see things others didn't. She had a connection with the emotions of the people around her, similar to a spirit user, but her element was water. She was amazing...  
Maybe Rose wasn't the perfect one for me. I did care about her, but there had never been anything deeper than having fun. She'd intrigued me so I let her in and in doing so I deluded myself into thinking it was love. With this woman I'd only known for less than a day I felt something so much deeper. Rose was great with Belikov, I could see the way they acted around each other as much as it hurt. They balanced each other so well. Rose was naturally rash- she needed stabilization. I was much the same, and I knew with spirit's effects that I couldn't be strong enough for her. Relationships need equality, that much I knew from watching my parents fail to keep it together most of the time. Thinking over what I had with Rose, it wasn't what I needed. But maybe, if I let her in, I could find what I really did need in Katie. She was wonderful, God knows she was beautiful.  
What proved to me that Rose wasn't the one was the realization I had when Katie walked back into the room. When you're with the perfect one for you you shouldn't be able to feel something for anyone else. Sure, you might meet someone that you're connected with, but that shouldn't be worth it compared to what you have with your 'one'. It should be that person and that person alone. I never felt anything this deep with Rose, but as Katie walked in in a tank top and matching pajama bottoms, hair wet and looking absolutely stunning, she smiled, a bit self conciously, at me and I felt a connection to her beyond something physical. That proved it. I wasn't meant to be with Rose. I still missed her, but my rational mind was finally telling me to move on instead of fight for her.  
I was attracted to Katie like nothing else- physically as well as emotionally. I promised myself to take it slow though. I didn't want to ruin this relationship by pressuring her. And... truthfully I wasn't ready yet either. I wanted her bad, but... I was still a virgin. I had a reputation around Court as a womanizer, and I knew that. I wanted that to change. Because the truth was I never slept with any of the girls I said I did, I just asked them to say they had to build my reputation. And they were more than happy to as well- who would turn down the chance to say they had slept with the unbearably sexy Adrian Ivashkov. I wanted things with Katie to be different.  
And so when she sat down on the bed next to me I kept the kiss we shared chaste. I didn't want to rush things.  
"You've been thinking" She smiled at me, a hand resting on my cheek.  
"I have" I smiled softly back at her. "How did you know?"  
"I see things. I'm good with people's emotions, it's half the reason why I'm majoring in psychology. I want to use it to help people. My mom was the therapist at Saint Vlad's for about a year. She moved back to Russia after one of her clients..." she trailed off. "It was bad. They were friends, which made it even worse."  
"Can I ask who it was?" I didn't want to pry, but I was curious.  
"Sonya Karp. That was a hard time for all of us, especially since Mom gave up her career after that. I was already traveling at that point, but I ended up staying in Russia for another year after to help out."  
"I'm really sorry. Would you tell me about your travels?" I asked. We stayed up all night talking after that.

**A/A/N: This chapter had a LOT of editing go into it, so I hope you guys enjoy it! I'm extremely paranoid about Katie coming off as a Mary-Sue, but please remember that you're seeing her through the eyes of someone who's smitten with her. She's bound to seem like that. Her major flaws come out later in her dealings with everyone.**


	5. A Small Reunion

DISCLAIMER: Rose: What is this I hear about you making one of my friends cry? I am a badass guardian and so is my boyfriend. Do NOT make me go all ninja on you!  
Richelle: I'm sorry, I just told her the truth. I own Vampire Academy. She wanted Adrian and Dimitri, I said no.  
Rose: KALI! DIMITRI IS MINE!  
Me: Sorry! You don't want Adrian though, right? I can still beg for him?

DPOV

I heard someone walking through the halls towards my cell. I hoped more than anything that it was my Roza. They had decreased my guard finally and it would make things so much easier. I knew we still had a lot to talk about, but I also knew it wouldn't matter. We were together again, nothing could change that. I felt bad for Adrian, I knew that he and Rose had been involved. But I also knew that he could heal- Roza wasn't the one for him. My heart beat faster as the footsteps approached. Oh, just to see her beautiful goddess face again...  
And then I heard Katia's voice thanking the guards and my heart sank. I put up my guardian mask quickly.  
"Dimka!" She exclaimed.  
"Katia" I said as warmly as I could manage.  
"I knew you'd figure it out. You two are too perfect for each other." She smiled warmly and I could see she was in a much calmer mood. I assumed she'd been hanging around someone more philosophical to help her mellow. I smiled to let her know to continue. "We didn't have much time to… socialize… last time I was here. I figured we could catch up."  
"Okay then, how are Vivie and Alexei?" I was referring to her parents, Viktoriya and Alecksander Belikov.  
"They're okay. Mom's still not working and Dad's still teaching. He's actually working with Natasha Ozera on a lesson plan for offensive magic usage. He actually told me... she had this crazy plan to try to force this to work. But when she met Dad and he started helping her he managed to get her an audience with the Queen." My dad tutored royal moroi whose parents didn't want them to go to the academy. He'd done some work in the Ivashkov family and became friends with her though that. "She agreed to work with her if she could get her a detailed working plan by the end of the year. Can you imagine what would have happened if she hadn't met him?!"  
"Tasha's always been a little extreme but I don't think she would have actually gone through with it. What have you been doing?"  
"Traveling, working on my degree. You knew I was working online to get it so I could keep exploring. I should graduate this year actually. But I'm thinking I'll stay here at the court for a while, with you and Rose and Lissa and Christian and Dree." I didn't know who the Dree person was, but whoever she was she was obviously a good friend.  
"I'll be glad to have you stay, but this would be a huge change. You've been on the road nonstop since before..." I cut off, avoiding saying the words. "since before everything happened. You haven't had a steady job since you were in school. I know you love seeing the world. Are you sure this is what you want?"  
"I have a lot to think about, but I think it is." She tilted her head to the side just then, and I heard what she was hearing, footsteps coming towards the cell. "I'll leave you two alone for now" She laughed as I finally heard Roza entering the cell.  
"Hey Katia!" my Roza said. I was glad they were friends. Having the women in my life get along so well (I knew Roza got along with everyone in Baia) made my life a lot easier.  
"Hey Rose!" said Katia. She gave her a hug and I heard Roza whisper "Thank you" in her ear.  
"Hey Comrade!," laughed Roza, coming over to kiss me through the bars.  
"I'll leave you two love birds alone," laughed Katia, grinning as she swung around the corner and out the doors.  
"Alone at last!," whispered Roza.  
"Finally" I said.

**A/N: This also involved a lot of editing, so I hope you all like it! I completely changed Katia's backstory to suit my purposes and make her less Mary-Sue :)**


	6. Old Friends

**Skipping the disclaimer this time, sorry!**

KPOV

I decided to get away from Dimka as soon as Roza came. Honestly, I've never been the biggest fan of being scarred for life. I decided I would go see Lissa. I'd known her forever; with my father working for the royals I'd been invited to some of the same parties as her. I'm older than her, but I loved kids and we always played together when there was nothing for her to do. It was surprising that I hadn't met Rose sooner. According to Lissa she was always glued to her side. I'd met Christian when he visited Natasha at the same time I was home visiting my parents.  
They'd seemed like a great couple, he was on the phone with her half the time he was there. I'd also heard they'd broken up, which was why I was so shocked when I knocked and heard... things... going on in the room I'd rather not have heard.  
"Okay! Whatever nasty compromising position you're in PLEASE get out because I'm coming in!" I yelled in the door. I covered my eyes and walked in, waiting for an all clear.  
"Katia? Is that you? I thought it was Rose!" Lissa cried. She ran over and hugged me and I saw Christian getting off the couch.  
"I see you two got back together!" I laugh. "Hey Chris!"  
"Yeah. I can't believe you're here! I haven't seen you since before you started traveling. How have you been?" Lissa asked.  
"Good! I just got here day before yesterday, I'd been in Greece before that. After I heard about what happened to Dimitri I wanted to be around stationary friends, so I decided to come out here for a while to catch up with you. Now I'm actually thinking about staying. Why don't we go do something so we can talk?"  
"Why don't we? We can go shopping! I know of some GREAT stores on the court for you!" Lissa looked enthused enough, but I decided to let Christian off the hook.  
"Chris, why don't you stay here… heat the house?" I made up a lame excuse for him. He laughed and agreed.  
We shopped for hours! It was really fun, I'd missed hanging out with Lissa. She was a great person to be around. When we were done I decided to go to the park and see if Dree would be there. I was looking forward to talking to him.

**A/N: OHH! What do you think'll happen when Dimitri finds out that Dree is not only a guy, but Adrian Ivashkov? This coullldd be bad! Or not, I'll go with whatever you guys think! Thank you all for reading! I'm going to try to get another chapter out by/on Thursday. I 3 all my readers! Now please review! Or I will bring back Katia's parents from the dead and make them kill everyone. Jk, but still, REVIEW please!**  
**A/A/N: That authors note is going to make no sense since I changed the path of the story... If you've just started reading, in my original posting Katia's parents were dead.**


	7. Overprotective Cousins

DISCLAIMER: Adrian: If you can't own Vampire Academy I'll own you.  
Me: Slavery… that sounds fun. Especially when my slave owner is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER! I don't think so… But me owning you, however, is another matter! *wink*  
Richelle: All right, that's it! I TOLD you that I own him! Lissa made me share him with you so you could write your story but you can NOT own him!  
Me: All right, all right… fine! *pouts*

APOV

I was sitting on the swing in the park relaxing when I heard a voice. "Heyy, buddy!" I knew who it was, so there was no point in turning around or even opening my eyes.  
"Hello, person!" I said to behind me. I opened my eyes when I felt her arms around me, hugging me from behind. It wasn't entirely odd for me to close to a woman after just a day or two, but it was completely new for me to be emotionally close after a day. Rose was the only person I've ever been close to, and it was nothing near as close as I am with Katia. I feel like I know her, like I can trust her, especially since we stayed up talking all night. I've never done that with anyone, much less a woman.  
"Mm," she murmured "What are you doing here?"  
"Waiting for you, of course!" I said. She laughed and walked around to look at me.  
"You took my swing!" she said reproachfully.  
"Oh well! Sit on that one!" I laughed.  
"Nope, this is much more comfortable!" She sat down on my lap, holding on to the swing chains while I held on to her.  
"So... what are we?" She asked. I had never been a labels person, but I understood why she needed one. I'd been a womanizer all my life and we'd both been hurt before. A label could help with any trust issues we might have.  
"We could be together, if that's what you want. While we see what this is. I want to keep spending time with you, see where this goes."  
"I do want that. I want to see where this goes too." she said. "However, I'm thinking we should spend time together inside, because it's getting rather bright." I laughed.  
"Right. Do you want to go to your apartment?" I asked and she nodded.

"So… what do you want to do?" She asked when we got there.  
"Why don't we see what's on TV?" I said. We ended up watching some ghost hunting show that we talked through until we heard a knock on the door. She sighed and got up to answer it. I couldn't hear what was going on, so I called out.  
"I'm going to make some popcorn!" She'd shown me where it was the night before.  
"Kay!" she called back.  
"Dree's a GUY?!" I heard someone with a thick Russian accent yell. I sat up on the couch in time to see Dimitri Belikov march into the room.  
"Dree is ADRIAN IVASKOV?! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING EKATARINA!" he yelled and all I could think was 'oh SHIT'!

KPOV

I got up to answer the door, sad that I had to leave Adrian. He was SO sweet and nice, nothing like the guy everyone made him out to be. I liked him, a lot. He was even okay with me watching some dumb ghost hunting show (although that was probably because we'd talked through half of it). I opened the door and was surprised to find Dimka standing there.  
"Dimka! They let you out!" I cried. I hugged him tightly and I could tell he was happy to see me. I saw guardians outside, but dismissed it as nothing.  
"There was a big interrogation, but they finally allowed me out under guard. I decided I wanted to see where you live."  
"Oh, I have Dree over right now, but-" I was cut off by Adrian yelling.  
"I'm going to make some popcorn!" It wouldn't have been a problem if my cousin hadn't been so protective of me.  
"Kay" I shouted back, hoping Dimitri wouldn't notice the masculine voice.  
"Dree's a GUY?!" he yelled. Oh, I guess I had forgotten to tell him that… He charged into the living room and saw who it was.  
"Dree is ADRIAN IVASHKOV?!" He yelled. I saw Dree pale and I felt horrible bad for him. But then Dimitri turned on me and it was my turn to be frightened. Dimka wasn't a strigoi or anything, but he'd always been scary when he wanted to be.  
"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING KATIA? THIS IS THE WORST IDEA EVER! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW BETTER THAN TO HAVE FLINGS—AND YOU! YOU WENT AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND AND NOW MY COUSIN? WHAT THE HELL?!" he yelled. His guardians were holding him back, not that he needed it. He was freaked, but he wasn't going to hurt anyone.  
"It's all right. He's just surprised and mad, but not violent." I told the guardians. They seemed to believe me because they let me near him.  
"Dimka, this is not a fling. Adrian and I are together. I'm only two years younger than you, I can make my own decisons. And he CARED about Rose, so don't even be mad at him for that. I'm happy with him, so you should be happy for us" I took a deep breath. "It's my business anyway, but don't think I don't I don't appreciate you looking out for me. I can fend for myself though, okay? It'll all work out." I said it patiently. I was used to him being over protective, I'd done this a couple of times with my past partners.  
"You're right. But we WILL talk about this. I have to go now, there's a council meeting that Roza and I are supposed to attend. I will see you later." He said quietly. I hugged him quickly and wished him goodbye before turning back to Dree.  
"He was going to kill me, wasn't he?" he asked, still (rightfully) shaken.  
"No, he wasn't violent, just over protective and rather angry. When you've lived around him long enough you'll know the difference!" I said. He still looked scared, so I went over to the couch and sat down next to him.  
"Now where were we?" I asked before kissing him. We went on like that for a while before falling asleep. Or at least I did. Apparently he didn't, because when I opened my eyes we were in the middle of cavern in the Phantom of the Opera, which I'd told him was my favorite musical.  
"This is amazing. I've always wondered what it would look like in real life. This is beautiful."  
"Wait… you know what's going on?" he asked.  
"Yes. I've heard about what you can do, remember? I appreciate you doing this for me. I've always wanted to be inside one of my stories. And I love the dress!" I was wearing a pretty purple 19th century style gown. My hair was longer and curled out like Christine's in the musical.  
"I'm glad you like it." He yawned and I could tell he was even more tired than he was letting on.  
"Why don't you get some sleep, okay? We can come back later." I said. He nodded and suddenly I was back in a deep sleep.

**A/N: I tried to remove all the Phantom stuff from later on, but I though the dream was a cute little way for them to connect so I left it in. Sorry if you dislike!**


	8. Bliss

**A/N: By the way, this chapter happens BEFORE the scene with Adrian and Katia and ends after. It starts with Dimitri being released, glazes over that chapter, and ends with the meeting Dimitri was talking about in it.**

Rose: Hey Richelle, do you think YOU would've made 12 reviews on this site?  
Richelle: YES!  
Me: Don't lie! You know you wouldn't have  
Dimitri: What did we say about being nice?

DPOV

I'd been wondering when they'd decide to hold an inquiry to decide for sure whether or not I was Strigoi. Apparently they'd finally gotten around to it because Roza and I hadn't been alone in the prison for 10 minutes a group of guardians barged in.  
"We're here to take you to the inquiry. We'll be deciding if you're Strigoi or not." Said one of the men.  
"God! It's bad enough you have bad timing, you also think he's still Strigoi? Are you BLIND!" Roza nearly shouted. Manda, she was too good to me.  
"Roza, it's all right. They'll question me, and if they have any sense at all they'll see it's me. It's alright." I said quietly. She relented and followed me and the guards out.

RPOV

I couldn't believe them! They STILL thought Dimitri was Strigoi. I followed along into the square when a guardian stepped out in front of me.  
"You can't go in there." He said.  
"Why the hell not?" I almost yelled.  
"You're too close to the situation. The queen doesn't want you in there. She said he'll see you when this is over. You'll just have to wait outside." He said.  
"But I-"  
He looked around before whispering, "You can watch through your bond with the Princess, can't you?"  
"You're right. I'll watch from here, I guess." I said, giving in. I spent the better part of an hour watching the proceedings. I was so happy I almost yelled out when I heard the final judge admit that Dimitri had to be Dhampir, at least for the moment. Thank god Lissa had had the same idea I had, of bringing up the little boy.  
"Roza!" Yelled Dimitri as he ran over to me. He pulled me up into a hug and we kissed passionitely. It had become common knowledge that Dimitri and I had been in love before he was changed, but people still stared. I barely noticed though. The kiss was deep and meaningful and full of love. I knew that no matter what had happened in the past few months, nothing could change our love. Things might not be perfect yet, but we had all the time in the world to work on it. I heard him growl a little. Oh, god was he sexy. It was extremely unfair that we were in the middle of the square.  
"You haven't seen my new place yet." I said, breaking reluctantly away from the kiss.  
"Yes, please get a room!" Said Christian.  
"Shut it Sparky!" I laughed, dragging Dimitri along we me towards my apartment.  
We get there and our passion overtakes us. It's too much to describe, honestly it's completely incredible. It's so much better than out first time. When we're finished we catch our breaths before we begin to speak.  
"I love you. Really and truely I do. Forever." Said Dimitri.  
"Forever, Dimitri. Always. I love you." I had moved up so I had my head resting on his chest. We talked for a while, both catching up and delving into the deep things, like the fact that he needs to forgive himself. It was hours before we fell asleep tangled together.

DPOV

That night was one of my life. I loved Roza more than anything in the world and through her I was starting to see how I might be forgiven. I wanted to help people, to atone, but at first I thought that no amount of atonement would be enough. I didn't want to wake her up in the morning, but I had recived a call a little while after she fell asleep. The Queen had called a Council session for the afternoon and wanted my Roza to be there. I knew she'd be mad if I didn't wake her up in time to get ready so I did.  
"Dimitri! It's too early!" She groaned.  
"The Queen has called a meeting and she wants you there, Roza. I'm sorry, but you probably should get ready."  
"Alright," She said reluctantly. "But you're coming with me!"  
"Do you mind if I stop by Katia's first while you're getting ready? Then I'll pick up some breakfast and meet you back here."  
"Alright, I'll see you then." she smiled.  
About a half an hour later, after the debacle with Katia and Adrian, I came home with a box of muffins. "I'm home! I brought muffins!" I called.  
Rose walked out of her room with a worried expression on her face. "Thanks. I hope this meeting isn't anything big." she said worriedly. She got a blank look on her face for a moment. "Lissa and Christian will be there too, so that's good."  
"Just don't think about it yet, just eat for now. I have news." My voice was dry on the last part.  
"News?"  
"Adrian is dating my cousin." I dont think my tone could have been any more angry without yelling.  
"What?! I mean... I'm happy for them. He deserves something good after what I did to him. I hope he's happy." Rose said before coming up to kiss me. I saw right through her motives, she knew my tone and wanted to take my mind off of it.  
"I love you Roza." I said and laughed a little. We'd talked a lot last night and things seemed a little better. I couldn't imagine being without her, but it was still hard to forgive myself for what I'd done. I just hoped I'd be able to someday, for her sake.

**A/N: I hope the time change didn't confuse anyone!**


	9. Shopping with Dimitri

RPOV

What the hell was that? I'd just been to a short council meeting where I'd been asked about my escapades before I'd graduated. I had no idea what it was about, but I figured it couldn't be good.  
"Calm down, Roza. It'll be all right, I'm sure we'll find out what that was about soon. It can't be terribly bad." Said Dimitri calmly. I loved him so much. He kept me calm when no one else could have.  
"You're right." I said quietly, nuzzling into his shoulder. We were in a car, and let me tell you, I was in heaven. Thank GOD for bench seats! We were headed to a mall outside of the court. I had no watch that day so Dimitri had decided that we should go out. We were being followed by a car of guardians who were looking over Dimitri, but other than that we were alone. There was a dance coming up at court and I'd decided I wanted to go dress shopping, plus it was a great time for a date. Maybe getting Dimitri out of court would help him to start forgiving himself.

DPOV

Not fair. This was extremely unfair.  
Roza had taken me shopping, which in and of itself I didn't mind. The bad part was when she deicded to try on a pretty black and white dress. The maker was one called Masquerade and apparently it was called a Cupcake Dress. It came abover her knees and was strapless. She looked amazing with her long hair down. I loved that woman so much it hurt.  
"What do you think?" She said happily, spinning around.  
"Not my style." I said, lowering my eyebrows enough to show her I was joking. She laughed and pulled me towards her.  
"Being mean will get you nowhere Comrade!" She whispered sexily. Her face was close to mine and I was about to kiss her when she quickly pulled away.  
"Roza!" I complained.  
"I told you!" She giggled, walking back into the dressing room to change. She came out wearing her jeans and a tee shirt. She was stunning no matter what she wore, but that dress was almost enough to send me over the edge. It was nice to be able to show our affection after so long hiding it. It was also nice to be outside of court where no one looked at me like I could blow up any time.  
We went out to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and when I walked her back to her apartment she kissed me.  
"We'll get through this, no matter how long it takes. I'll help you forgive yourself as best I can. I promise you. I love you." She whispered and I held her tight. I was really starting to believe it myself.

**A/N: I just gave myself a heart attack updating the wrong chapters. I'm almost done though! Enjoy!**


	10. Hope and A Bad Call

RPOV

The Queen announced the vote at a council meeting the next day. I wasn't paying too close of attention until she mentioned me and the fact that I was able to hunt Strigoi at 16. That got my attention! I immediately saw that I didn't like where it was headed, but I didn't think it would be as bad as it was until she actually came out and said it.  
"We will now vote on the issue of lowering the dhampir graduation age from 18 to 16." I almost screamed. I was the EXCEPTION not the rule! I felt Dimitri tense at my side and grab my arm before I could run out there and rip her head off.  
"Relax, Roza. They surely could not be THAT stupid." I heard the malice in his voice. We were quiet as they set up to take the vote. The whole room was silent until someone crashed through the doors.  
"I have an alternative! Wait! Let me speak!" the voice of Tasha Ozera rang out.  
"Ms. Ozera, I'm glad to see you made it, even if your entrance is a bit... undignified. What is it that you'd like to put before the council?" Tatiana seemed to be trying to hide her happiness at Tasha's entrance.  
"I've been working with Alecksander Belikova, I'm sure most of you know him. He's one of the most respected teachers we have and we've been working together to make a course that will teach Moroi who wish to learn to fight how to while teaching the others basic self defense. It will be taught by guardian and Moroi volunteers. I have the full plan here. I request a dismissal of the proposed bill while the implications of this plan are worked out."  
The room was silent until Tatiana broke it and began the voting, this time on whether or not to vote on the bill today. The council was divided evenly up to the final vote, Tatiana's. She voted to postpone the vote and we all breathed a sigh of relief. I had faith that Tasha would stop this bill. I knew how stubborn she could be and I also knew that for her to have the support of the queen the bill had to be good. Dimitri had told me that she had been working on it with his uncle and that she'd consulted the queen occasionally.  
"I know it is Dimitri. It'll all be all right, I promise. We'll figure out a way to stop this, promise." I said as we walked outside, more to myself than to him. I just hoped I was telling the truth. I honestly had no idea what would happen, only that 16 year olds were not old enough to be guardians. Sure, they could have the physical strength, but nowhere near the emotional strength, except in rare cases. Death, whether of the evil or innocent, is hard to come to terms with especially if you're responsible. I couldn't believe the council was foolish enough to try to do this. So much had happened to me since I was 16. I couldn't imagine someone who had been less mature than I had been trying to go out and guard someone.  
"Why don't we go to my place, Roza. Maybe we could call everyone over and discuss this?" He suggested. I agreed and 15 minutes later the place was filled with Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Katia, Dimitri, and myself.  
"We need to think of strategies to avoid this now that we know what they're planning. We have a decent amount of time, the rules say they have to deliberate for at least 6 weeks to gather all the evidence. There are a few things we can do. First off, we need to see what we can do about the quorum law. One of us can speak to Tatiana about it. It's a long shot, but it'll help when it comes to a vote. We also need to see if we can get your father out here, Katia. He'll be able to help explain the bill and a lot of people trust him. We need to be networking as the meetings progress, especially with the families who want the bill passed. Adrian, do you think you could find out who they are? The ball in a month should be the perfect place to do so, everyone will be there. Normally working on several fronts would be a bad idea, but we have enough help here to get everything done. What do you all think?" Dimitri took charge of our little get together almost immediately. We all agreed that it was a good plan and got straight what everyone would do. We all knew that it would be challenging, we just hoped that it will be worth it.

**A/N: Far more heavy editing from here through where I've stopped for now. A lot of you will notice that I've removed some chapters, but it's only because I can extend the story farther and with more quality writing it this way.**


	11. Moving In

RPOV

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I woke breathless, sweating and tangled in the sheets. Dimitri sat quickly up and put his arm around me, trying to calm me down.  
"Shh, Roza, it's all right. It's all going to be all right, it was just a dream." I heard his deep voice say. I relaxed immediatlely.  
"I know, it's just... it was SO real. I couldn't-" I broke off, starting to cry.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked me. I nodded, then began.  
"It was us and... and they tried to take you... and I couldn't get you back and-" Another sob racked my body.  
"It'll be all right. It was only a dream. I promise you Roza, it'll all work out. I'm here now and I'm going to stay. No matter what happens. Like you said, we'll get through this." I heard the love and devotion in his voice. I needed him so much it hurt and I was so lucky to have had him brought back. He'd mentioned at one point that being Strigoi had changed him, and it had, but no entirely for the worse. He was still capable of love, still capable of being with me. In fact he seemed more willing to be affectionate with me, both because he knew that he could lose me and because he was trying to make up for what he'd done to only thing that had changed was his hatred of himself. I knew he was hiding it from me and it hurt, especially because I knew we couldn't move forward in our relationship until he did.  
"I love you, you know that? I'll be here for you no matter what. You don't have to hide what's going on with you. I can see that you're still hurting and I want to help you. I know we aren't going to have much time in the next few weeks, but when we do don't ever feel like you can't talk to me." I said, holding his hands.  
And he did. He talked about how much he hated himself and he wished he didn't. How he still didn't feel like enough for me, but he trusted my love for him enough to believe what I wanted. We talked about how sometimes he still didn't feel like what happened wasn't his fault and that he sometimes still felt like a murderer and unworthy. I'd woken up a few hours before we had to get ready and leave and by the time we'd finished talking we only had about a half hour before we should have woken up. Dimitri changed the subject.  
"Roza, I wanted to do this later, at the ball, but now seems like a better time. Roza, will you move in with me? I know it's a big step, but I love you. Plus we can have more time to talk in between all that's going on." I was stunned and excited. Moving in with Dimitri sounded perfect. Before I could answer, however, my stomach lurched.  
"Oh, Dimitri!-" Was as far as I got before I ran to the bathroom to throw up.

DPOV

I'd just asked her to move in with me when she went into the bathroom to throw up. Not the best sign.  
"Roza, are you all right?" I asked. She looked like a mess when she came out.  
"I'm fine... I don't know what came over me, that was really sudden. But, if I haven't ruined it, yes I'd love to move in with you." She said quietly, looking up into my eyes with a small smile.  
"You didn't ruin anything. Nothing except you saying no could've ruined it. I love you Roza, thank you!" I felt like I'd been washed clean by our earlier conversaion and all that filled my head was joy. We could spend every night together without worrying about logistics of which place and what to bring. I saw my joy reflected in her face and was so happy that I picked her up and spun her around like a little kid.  
"I'm starving, can we go get some breakfast?" She asked. I agreed, the idea of my having the ablity to say no to her was laughable.  
"What do you want?" I asked.  
"Waffles with ice cream, sprinkles, and butterscotch." She said.  
"I didn't think you liked having that much sugar, especially not with butterscotch, you hate the stuff. Are you feeling alright?" I asked, so concerned it hurt.  
"I'm fine. It just sounds really good is all." She said. She looked alright, so I let it go. I hoped she wasn't getting sick, I knew she hated it and that she'd be wanting to plan out how we were going to move her things across court. So I crossed my fingers that she was right and fine.

**A/N: Another HUGE change from the original in this chapter, but oh well :) We'll get there, just not that fast.**


	12. Unexpected Addition

DISCLAIMER: Me: Mihi nomen est Kali et mihi est laeta. (My name is Kali and I is/am happy) Unfortunately, I am not happy because I own Vampire Acadamy.  
Rose: Uh, first, quit showing off your Latin skills, second, you do not own VA because I do! I took it over and Dimtri is going to rule over it with me.  
Dimitri: Roza, don't let Richelle hear you say that. She'll have you executed next book!  
Rose: Shit...

RPOV

Those waffles were the best damn things on the planet. I had no idea that sweets could be that amazing, but apparently they were. We'd gone to a small waffle house in the court. They were so good, but... Oh God did I feel sick afterwards. I ran to the bathroom.  
"Rose, you all right?" Dimitri asked. I knew he shouldn't be in the womens restroom, but I didn't care. I was too glad that my Dimitri was there to hold me.  
"I'm alright now. I think I'm getting a stomach flu or something." I said. It's not such a big deal, I'd been off guardian rotation since the whole Dimitri thing started, apparently they thought I was 'emotionally compromised'. I couldn't say I disagreed with them right then.  
"Are you sure Roza? Maybe we should take you to the doctor." Dimtri said. I just shook my head and got up, but then... everything went black.

DPOV

I caught Roza before she hit the ground.  
"Someone call the hospital!" I said after I picked her up and carried her outside.  
"What happened?" Asked the manager while an employee made the phone call.  
"She was sick this morning. I figured it was nothing, a stomach bug or the fear from the strange dream she had last night. Either way, she wanted some really weird food and I don't think that helped her much. She had just finished throwing up and when she stood up she fainted." I said.  
"Is there any chance she could be pregnant?" Asked the manager.  
"No. We're both dhampir." I said.  
"Could she have..." She trailed off. I was instantly pissed.  
"Are you implying something about my girlfriend?" I growled. She looked instantly regretful.  
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. I was just trying to rule out the possiblity, I mean she is friends with Adrian Ivashkov, isn't she?"  
"They're friends and she's not, so don't bring it up again." I knew I was rude, but it hurt too much to think of Roza with anyone else. I couldn't rule out the fact that the signs did sound remarkably like... It couldn't be mine though, even if she was.

RPOV

I came around slowly. It was a soft bed, although the room smelled... sterile. A hospital, I realized. I heard voices faintly.  
"Pregnancy... test results... both... dhampir... girl... complications... shadow kissed..." It sounded unfamiliar. Then I heard Lissa.  
"I think she's coming around guys!" she called.  
Dimitri's voice became loud enough for me to hear. "Roza, love, are you awake?"  
"Mhmm... What's going on?" I asked. I opened my eyes but the light was blinding. I got up the courage to open them again and saw Dimtri staring back at me and behind him Lissa, Christian, and Katia were sitting on chairs around the bed.  
"We have a lot to talk about." He turned from me. "Could you give us some privacy?" Christian said bye and he and the nurse left. Lissa gave me a hug and Katia gave Dimitri one. Before she let me go Lissa whispered that she'd see me later. When the room was clear I looked at Dimitri.  
"Dimtri, what's wrong?" I asked, worried.  
"Roza... You're pregnant." I gasped but he cut me off, apparently wanting to explain in all in one shot. "It's mine, of course. They're not sure how yet, apparently it's something to do with your being shadow kissed. When Lissa healed you it healed your ability to have kids with a dhampir." he launched into a more detailed explanation of how before continuing, "They did tests and the baby's alright, although progressing much more quickly than normal. They aren't sure what kind of complications could arise from this. But there's one good thing that's come out of the fast pace. Do you want to know what we're having?" He asked.  
"Uhm, yes..." I didn't know exactly what was going on. It was really fast. We'd just decided to move in together that morning. I was going to be a mother. It wasn't a bad thing, really... I just hadn't thought I'd be able to have kids. I'd never thought I'd wanted one, but with Dimitri it just seemed right. The more I thought about it, the more I loved the little baby inside me. I didn't want to give up my career, but between Dimitri and myself I was sure we'd figure out how to raise it well.  
"We're having a girl, Roza." He said. He looked nervous. I figured that was because he didn't know how I felt about the pregnancy.  
"She is going to be the most beautiful, perfect, loved little girl in all the world." I nearly started crying as he kissed me. When he pulled back I could see the joy in his eyes. For now, at least, all traces of his self hatred were gone. I couldn't wait to get home so we could actually talk. Before I could ask when I would be able to leave I heard a voice.  
"Rose?" I saw Lissa peek around the doorway.  
"Hey, come in! Dimitri, do you mind leaving us alone for a little while so we can talk?" I smiled at my boyfriend.  
"Not at all. I'll be outside if you need me." He pressed a kiss against my cheek and left the room. Before he left my line of sight I saw Katia coming to ambush him and I knew he'd be having the same conversation with her that I would with Lissa.  
"How much do you know?" I asked her.  
"Just that you're pregnant. Do you know how this happened?" I could feel her confusion through the bond.  
"Well, Liss, when a mommy and a daddy love each other VERY much," I started, smirking.  
"No seriously. Who's is it? Is it Adrians?" She grimaced as she said it.  
"It's Dimitri's, Liss. Apparently it had something to do with my being shadow kissed. It messed with my DNA or whatever. It's a girl." I smile at her.  
"I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down. Dimitri had appeared in the doorway at the commotion so she ran over and hugged him. "Congratulations!"  
"Thank you Lissa. It means a lot. I haven't discussed this with Rose, but I was thinking... Would you and Christian like to be the god parents? After all you've done for me it's the least that I can do," he asked. My face lit up. It was a wonderful idea. He was such an amazing man and now he was the father of my baby.  
"I'd have to talk to Christian, but I'm sure he'll agree. Oh, this'll be amazing! Oh... I mean, if Rose?" She was speaking quickly until she cut off.  
"Do you even have to ask? I can not think of anyone better. It'll be wonderful." suddenly a way to make things work came to me, "You can be Aunt Lissa and she can stay with you while I'm on duty and that way I can keep an eye on you both. We can all be one big happy family!" I choked up at that point. Damn pregnancy hormones. I was acting like a blubbering idiot and completely not like myself. Neither Lissa nor Dimitri seemed to mind though. I thought the pregnant woman was supposed to glow, but apparently it's not just her. Dimitri looked radiant and Lissa... well, Lissa just looked like she was about to jump out of her skin with excitement. Katia walked into the room at this point as well.  
"Can I join the party? Congratulations Rose!" she smiled warmly.  
"Of course you can!" I replied. "Thank you."  
"Oh, have you thought of names yet? There are such beautiful girl names..." She gushed.  
"Not yet... We've only just found out you know!" I laughed.  
"Oh, Rose!" She exclaimed before hugging me. As she pulled away I yawned very loudly. "We should go. You need your rest." She said.  
"I'll miss you! Come back in a little while, we can talk about everything." I laughed.  
"Of course!" She and Katia hugged both of us one more time before leaving the room. From the hallways I could hear the two of them talking about baby showers and I just laughed.  
"Dimitri, we're going to be parents! Can you believe it? We're going to have our very own little girl!" I could see the happiness in his eyes. I yawned again.  
"Get some sleep, my love. You're going to need it. From what I've heard, pregnancy is awful." He sympathized.  
"Hm, I'll live and it'll be worth it. Would you lay down with me? The bed is big enough..." I say. He sits on the edge of the bed, holding me up and laying my head on his chest. I sighed. This had to be one of the best nights of my life.

**A/N: I think this is moving along really well. The next chapter is FULL of new material so I hope you'll keep reading. I also wanted to say I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes. I'm using Q10 to write which doesn't automatically spell check, so I'm sorry about that!**


	13. Trouble in Paradise

Richelle: I wouldn't have taken that long to update!  
Me: Yes, but you unfairly take a year or more between books, which usually aren't enough chapters to warrant that long of a delay!  
Richelle: Whatever. I'm still better. Get over it.  
Lissa: Okay Chris, go ahead.  
Christain: *singes Richelle's eyebrows*  
Richelle: Okay, okay, FINE I'll stop being mean! Don't hurt me! *whimpers*

KPOV

"I can't believe we're gonna have a mini Rose/Dimka running around! I'm gonna be an... aunt!" I exclaimed as I sat on the couch with Adrian a few hours after leaving the hospital.  
"Um, no you won't, Kath. You're going to be a second cousin." He laughed.  
"I like aunt better! 'Auntie Katia', doesn't that sound much better?" I said hopefully. He was mean and just rolled his eyes at me. "Well fine then! You won't be 'fun Uncle Adrian', you'll be 'that guy who hangs around our awesome second cousin Katia'!" I retorted.  
"Whatever. It's not our choice anyways, now is it?" He's right, so I rolled my eyes. One thing I'd learned so far was that both of us hated being wrong and we'd never admit when we were. He stood up suddenly.  
"I'm taking you somewhere. Dress up, formal style, it's a nice event." He said. He likes surprising me like that. I'd found out so much about him in the past few days. We'd spent almost ever waking hour together, and every sleeping one. We'd been figuring out a way to complete the quorum. To the first point, we'd figured either the baby or the bond, we hadn't had a way to test either just yet, and to the second we could only think of three solution: the queen removing the restriction, a wedding or a little Chris/Lissa to go along with the little Dimka/Rose. I didn't know exactly how this all would work out, but as always, I knew it had to, somehow. In between he'd surprised me with flowers, dinner, and a bracelet.  
"Okay then." I said warily and headed to my room to get ready. I pulled on a dress, heels, and the bracelet he gave me. I did my hair in a chignon with one of the flowers in it. After I finished my makeup I walked out to meet him. He was dressed in a suit and looking sexy.  
"You look stunning" he smiled at me and held his arm out.  
"So do you," I said as I took it. He led us out to a car being driven by a pair of guardians. We traveled about a half hour outside of court to a posh looking gallery.  
"It's opening night for the gallery and my family was invited. A couple of Zeklos have paintings here and the gallery itself is owned by a Dashkov. I was hoping it would make for a nice night out to get away from all our research and have a real date." he smiled down at me.  
"Thank you! I love it, I really do!" I heard the beat of the music coming fom inside change and I dragged Adrian inside. "I love this song, let's dance!"  
We danced for almost an hour. They played some amazing music and I had more fun than I'd had in a long time. We were headed off the floor to get drinks when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.  
"Ekatarina, is that you?" an accented voice came from behind me. I looked behind me to see the face of someone I never thought I would again.  
"Abena? Is that really you?!" My eyes widened. I hadn't seen her since I'd lived in Africa three years before.  
"I could say the same about you! You look amazing!"

APOV

I took the encounter between Katie and her friend lightly until it happened. Katia went to hug her and instead her friend, Abena, went for a kiss. I used to joke about lesbian kisses being hot, but it's far less hot when it's your girlfriend being kissed. I was about to step in when Katie pulled away.  
"Abena, we ended this three years ago. I have a boyfriend now, I've moved on. I want to catch up, but you have to respect that I'm with Adrian. Can you do that?" she asked. All I could do was stand there stunned.  
"Yes, I can. I'm sorry, it was force of habit. Do you have the same number? I could call you sometime so I can let you get back to your date." the other woman said.  
"It's the same. I'll see you later, okay?" the other woman got the hint and left quickly. Katie turned to me. "You okay?"  
"You dated her? You were with a woman?" I was so surprised— as well as insane with jealousy— I could hardly function.  
"Let's take this outside, alright? We can talk there." I nodded and she led us outside into a courtyard.  
"Yes we dated. I'm bisexual. I didn't mention it because I didn't think it would be a problem. I'm with you now, so I'm not going to go running off with anyone regardless of gender. Are you okay with that?"  
"I have problems with jealousy and now I have to be jealous of both women and men looking at you? I have to worry if you're actually friends with your friends or if it's something more. How am I supposed to do that Katie?"  
"You're supposed to trust me Adrian. I know it's hard, I really do. I've been hurt before too. But that's just another reason why I'm never going to do that to you. I promise you."  
"It's so hard though, I can't... was the person who hurt you, the one you told me about, were they a man or a woman?" he asked.  
"That was a man. Adrian, I understand if you need time. This is something big and I really shouldn't have kept it from you. But I promise if you'll let me I'll show you that you can trust me, just like you'll show me. If you need time I can give it to you. I will give it to you. But you have to tell me now: can we work though this?"  
I looked up at the beautiful woman standing in front of me. In just a few short days she'd become my whole world. We worked together, we had fun together. It was amazing and I couldn't see losing it. I might be jealous and I might have trouble trusting her not to leave, but I didn't want to stop being with her. If i left I'd be showing her she couldn't trust me either. If our roles were reversed I'd want her to stay. So I nodded.  
"Good, let's go inside and dance, okay?"  
"Okay." So we danced. I knew that the next few weeks wouldn't be easy, but we would find a way to make this work. And dancing with her, I knew it would be worth it.

**A/N: The whole second half of this is original material, written by me today! I'll be posting more within the next couple days, right now I'm going to go eat and make a plot timeline :) Please enjoy and stay tuned!**


	14. Where Do We Go From Here

**A/N: This was supposed to be cute RxD with no angst or real content of any kind... I don't know what happened, I'm sorry!  
**

RPOV

I stared in the mirror at Dimitri's apartment. My apartment, I mentally corrected myself, as I would be moving in within a few days. With all the excitement with the baby I'd nearly forgotten. I held my hands to my stomach, trying to see it. In some ways I was absolutely terrified. I wasn't even 19 and I was going to be a mother. If it had been something like marrying Dimitri I wouldn't have thought twice (once he'd forgiven himself, of course). I knew I was ready for that kind of commitment, but the commitment that comes with a child? I knew I loved Dimitri and I knew how to do it well. I had no idea how to care for a child. My genius plan about Lissa babysitting our daughter might work sometimes, but what would happen when Dimitri and I were both on duty when she needed to be taken to school. I didn't want to ship her off to the academy, I wanted to give her a chance to choose. I knew that I'd been harsh about judging dhampir women who didn't become guardians before, but since meeting Dimitri's family I wanted to give her the choice. The truth is I was terrified.

"Roza?! Roza where are you?" I heard Dimitri call in a panic from the bedroom. I'd been released from the hospital about an hour earlier and Dimitri had escorted me home before going to get us some food. I'd been told to stay in bed, but I couldn't help getting up to look in the mirror. I wanted to see if there was anything physically different about me when my whole world had been turned upside down.

"I'm here, I'm here." I walked out into the bedroom.

"Rose, you're not supposed to be out of bed! What are you doing?" he was so worried he couldn't pull off stern.

"Calm down Comrade, I just wanted to look in the mirror. I'm getting back in bed now, see?" I laid down and scooted to make room for him. "Now show me the grub!"

He rolled his eyes but sat down beside me and pulled from the bag a couple of boxes of the best Chinese food available at court. "Mmm, you got the good stuff!"

"Only the best for my girls!" He said lightly and I grimaced and hoped he didn't notice.

He did. "What were you doing looking in the mirror anyways? You know you're beautiful Roza. Or is this about the baby?"

"I just... I was seeing if I looked different. I'm happy about this, that hasn't changed. But I'm also scared silly. It's different for you, you're almost 25. I'm not even 19 and I'm going to be a mother. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get married within the next few years and now I'm going to be responsible for a child."

"Do you... do you not want to go through with it? I'll support you if so." He looked into my eyes, but I looked away.

"No, no. I want our daughter. But I'm so scared Dimitri. What does this mean for our lives? Our careers? Everything is changing and with so much going on outside of our personal problems I don't know how I'm going to handle it all." I put my head in my hands.

"Roza, everyone goes through this. It's going to be even harder for us because of how quickly things are moving and our jobs and how young you are. But you're so mature for your age, you always have been. We can manage this. I know we can."

"I don't want to be the stereotypical teen mother Dimitri. And I sure as hell don't want to be my mother."

"You won't be the stereotypical teen mother because you're not the stereotypical teen. And by the same token, you're not your mother. And you've got me. We can make this work. If you're old enough to take life you're old enough to make it. You can take the responsibility, you've had responsibility for other people all your life, we all have. And if anyone says anything say to hell with them. I know you of all people can do that! You're strong. We can do this together." he paused for a moment, looking down. "We could get married, you know?"

That one threw me for a loop and it took me several seconds to recover. "Did you just propose to me?"

"I know it's not the romantic amazing proposal you deserve, Roza, but I love you so much. I would be proud to marry you no matter what, but I'd love to move it up our daughter on the way. Will you do the honor of marrying me?" He'd turned himself around on the bed and his face was so serious it killed me to say what I had to.

"I can't. Not yet. You haven't forgiven yourself and that's the only way you can give me what I need. I don't want to rush you, I know it'll take you time and I'll be there for you in the meantime. But there's still a part of you that hates yourself and is only with me because it makes me happy. I love you Dimitri, so much. But I need all of you and until I can have that I won't marry you. Especially now, I have to have more respect for myself than that. Ask again when you're really ready, okay?"

He looked crushed and defeated, but also understanding. "Don't think that it means I don't want to. Or that it means that I think you don't deserve forgiving or don't deserve me or anything stupid like that, Comrade. I want to more than anything. I just can't. Please tell me you understand."

"I do, I do." He looked away, "I just hope I can do that before you give up on me."

"I will _never_ give up on you, I promise. Haven't I proved that by now?"

He laughed dryly. "Yeah, yeah you have Roza. I love you, I do. It's just hard to be shot down by the woman you love."

"You aren't being shot down, you're being postponed. If you were being shot down I wouldn't do this." I leaned and kissed him hard for a moment or two before pulling away. "I am happy, I really am. Just scared."

"We'll get through this Roza. I love you." he pulled me to his chest and held me close.

"I love you too, Comrade."

**A/N: Well that was a bit of a monster and I didn't mean for it to be! Hope you enjoyed, even if it was a tinge angst-y. I really hope you'll all review!**


	15. The Meeting

RPOV  
It was Friday evening, almost week since I'd found out about the pregnancy. We were keeping it quiet for the time being but soon it would be hard to do. Moroi and Dhampir pregnancies usually only lasted about 25 weeks and mine seemed to be moving along even more quickly. I was already showing slightly, though so far I'd managed to stay in and when I did have to go out I could cover up. I had a Doctor's appointment scheduled in two and a half weeks for an ultrasound to try to determine my exact due date. In the mean time we'd been moving me into Dimitri's apartment bit by bit.  
We'd finally gotten the last boxes moved in and we decided it would be the perfect time to get everyone together and see where we stood on our plans to keep the age law from passing. It was almost 8, which was when everyone was supposed to arrive. I heard a commotion in the kitchen and went to see what it was. A smiled passed my lips when I saw it was Dimitri making some kind of frozen drinks for everyone. The fact that this man could be so strong and fierce at times and so domestic at others never ceased to amaze me. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist.  
"What are you making?" I asked.  
"Chocolate chip and coffee smoothie. I know Katia enjoys them and I've seen Adrian and Vasilisa drinking coffee on occasion, so I decided I'd try to make something we'd all like. I'm hoping after we're done with business we could all relax for a while. Things have been stressful for us all lately and I think everyone could use some time with friends, you especially."  
"Why me especially?" I backed away from him, offended.  
"I didn't mean anything by it, Roza. Just that with graduating and everything that happened with me and this law and the baby- you haven't had time to rest for months. You told me what happened when with you and Vasilisa when you were in Russia and you haven't spent a lot of time with her in a while. You've been distant from Adrian as well, which is understandable, but I think it would be nice to have some time to catch up. I haven't had a chance to make friends with your friends much either considering our circumstances. I want to be a part of this part of your life now that I can." he looked at me hopefully.  
"I kn-" I was cut off by the sound of knocking at the door. I kissed him quickly and went to answer it.  
"Hey!" Lissa said, giving me a huge hug. She leaned down to speak to my stomach. "How's my little niece doing?"  
"She's alright, just making it hard for me to eat." I rolled my eyes but answered truthfully.  
"She hasn't shut up about it since she told me you guys wanted us for godparents. Rose, Belikov." He nodded to me and I turned to see Dimitri had come to stand behind me.  
"Sparky. Maybe if your heart wasn't cold and black you'd be excited too." I looked pointedly at him for a moment before a smile broke onto my face. "Come in guys, Comrade here went domestic and made drinks"  
Dimitri just rolled his eyes and Lissa and Christian laughed as we moved into the living room. They hadn't any sooner than sat down when the doorbell rang again.  
"I'll go ahead and get it" I said, seeing as I was the closest to the door already. I was honestly surprised when I pulled it open though.  
"Come in! Where's loverboy? I thought you two did everything together?" I laughed, but the look on Katia's face made me stop quickly.  
"He's on his way, I suppose. He wanted to spend some time by himself today." Her tone was dark, but as we made our way into the living room and she saw Dimitri with the blender full of drinks her face brightened. "Is that what I think it is?"  
"Just for you! I made more than enough for everyone, so you can have two glasses if you like." he smiled at his cousin as she walked over to give him a hug. Before she let go she snatched the blender from his hands and held it away from him.  
"Nah, I'll just drink from the blender!" She hugged to to herself for a moment, dodging an attempt by Dimitri to grab it back. She did this a couple more times in the span of a few seconds and then finally handed it out to him dramatically. "Fine, I'll graciously ALLOW you to have this back so everyone can have some." I'd already sat down in the arm chair when the doorbell rang again.  
"Let me get it, you're already sitting." Katia smiled and walked back into the hall. She returned a few moments later with Adrian behind her. The tension between them was obvious and I made a mental note to get her alone to ask about it later. Dimitri finished pouring out the drinks and we all found a place to sit. Lissa and Christian took the love seat, I was in the chair with Dimtri sitting on the back of it behind me and Adrian took the smaller chair with Katia sitting at his feet.  
"Alright, let's get down to business. How is everyone doing with their projects?" I took charge leading the conversation this time.  
Lissa answered. "Adrian, Christian and I have been talking to the royals. We've managed to be sure that all the families on our side are going to stay that way. We've even recruited a few people to try to convince the other side with us. It seems the council debate has been swinging back and forth. One day they're leaning towards throwing out the age law, the next they think it's the best plan ever to hit the council floor."  
Adrian piped up. "It looks like the Taurus family is more changeable than any of the others. They're pretty divided amongst themselves and it's just a matter of convincing the prince. We're working with the families on our side to get as many people talking to him and convincing him as possible. I just hope it works."  
"What did you two think up concerning the quorum law?" I turned to Katia and Adrian.  
"So far, unless we could convince the queen to change the law, the only option two options would be a marriage or a baby." Katia saw the look on Lissa and Christian's faces and grimaced. "Sorry, I wish we could think of something else..."  
"No, no, it's fine. Just..." Lissa trailed off and scooted subtly away from Christian.  
"I understand, believe me. Why don't we get off this topic? About my dad- he said he can come out in about two weeks. He would be here sooner but he has to find someone to look after my mom..." It was Katia's turn to trail off and suddenly the meeting was turning from productive to a great big ball of awkward.  
The silence lasted for a few moments before my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I fished it out and saw my mom's name on the caller ID. Dimitri raised his eyebrows as I shot out of the chair. "Ihavetotakethis" I said, rushing out of the room.  
"Hello?" My voice timid, actually timid! I was so worried she'd found out from someone other than me. I'd been trying to figure out how to tell her and so far I'd come up with squat.  
"Hello, Rose. I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are coming up to court to try to block the age law. We'll be there in about two weeks, Ibrahim has some business to finish up before we head out. We'll also be wanting to spend some time with Guardian Belikov as well. We heard you two are back together." She said "spend some time" like she meant the Spanish Inquisition.  
"Mom! Hasn't he been through enough? He doesn't need you interrogating him!"  
"We'll discuss this when I get there, okay? I'll see you soon. I love you, Rose, your father sends his too."  
"Love you too Mom, see you soon." I sighed and hung up the phone. It seemed like I had lucked out. I'd be able to tell my mother in person instead of over the phone which, as scary as it was, seemed better than the wrath I would get if I didn't have a reason for not telling her right away.  
When I re-entered the living room I saw Christian and Adrian grouped up and talking and Dimitri, Lissa, and Katia in a group. The latter group was in the adjoining dining room and seemed to be getting together a plate of chips and salsa for everyone to snack on.  
"Mmm, snacks!" I said, grabbing a couple of chips off the platter.  
"Who was that?" Lissa asked. I could feel her worry through the bond and saw how odd I'd been acting when my phone went off.  
"My mom. Actually," I spoke up so the guys in the living room could hear, "She's coming out to try to protest the age law. Seems like we'll have even more help."  
"When will she get there?" Christian asked.  
"Two weeks, same as Katia's dad. Abe is coming out too and he has business to take care of before they can leave." I sat on the table and grabbed a few more chips. Dimitri caught my eye with a questioning gaze and I knew what he wanted to know. I shook my head ever so slightly and mouthed 'later'.  
The room was silent for a few moments before Lissa managed to strike up a conversation about some random television show that we used to watch back at the academy and she'd been catching up on. Everyone else had seen it too, so we managed to talk for a long while, the conversation shifting around until we were all laughing at some joke or another. During the course of the night Katia and Adrian had even drifted closer together and seemed better than they had earlier. It was nice hang out with my friends and pretend that the world wasn't falling apart around us. I hadn't felt like that since before Dimitri had been turned and it was nice to back to it.  
It was a couple of hours later when we heard a knock at the door. Dimitri got up to get it and the rest of us stayed laughing and chatting. When he came back in he had a look on his face that made us all fall silent.  
"Vasilisa, Christian, Rose, Adrian? The queen has requested your presence." We all shared a look before getting up. No one was sure what it could be, and we speculated as we walked to the castle.  
**A/N: Longest chapter yet! ****My apologies if Janine is a bit out of character, we'll just say that in this canon divergence they remedied their relationship a bit more quickly. I also apologize for any weird symbols. I think I've mentioned before that I'm using Q10 and hyphens on that turn into strange things here. Also, if anyone is interested, there are going to be 10 chapters left after this one, the last one will be chapter 25, the epilogue :) Please review and let me know what you think so far!  
**


	16. Another Meeting

**RPOV**

We were all confused as to why we were being summoned. Well, maybe not Adrian, seeing as he was often invited to see his aunt, but the idea still stood.

Tatiana's face looked grim as we entered the room. Once the formalities were done we all took our seats.

"My apologies for the late hour and such short notice. Things are happening that I'm not sure I can prevent alone. There are things you need to know."

"What things?" Adrian asked.

"There's a secret that has been kept from you, Vasilisa, for a long time. Only a few of us know it. I promised your father I'd keep it, but I think he'd prefer that I kept you safe instead. I think your friends need to hear this too, I know you rely on them and they'll most likely be able to help."

"What secret?" Lissa asked and I felt her fear through the bond. She had no idea what kind of secret her father would ask the queen to keep, but if her tone was any inclination it wasn't a good one.

"I need you to know that your father was a good man, he loved your mother, brother, and you very very much. But he made a mistake and now there are consequences that might be good or bad. I wouldn't tell you this if it wasn't necessary, but with that infernal age law up for debate we need all the votes we can get" She took a deep breath.

"Vasilisa, you aren't the only daughter of Eric Dragomir alive today. Your father's mistake was he bringing another baby into the world with another woman."

There was a pause that seemed to stretch into infinity. Lissa couldn't believe that her father could do such a thing. I could feel her anger against whomever the other daughter was along with the shock and hope that came with thinking she might stand a chance against the quorum law. We were all speechless. When Christian broke the silence, he only had one question.

"Do you know who she is?"

"Her name is Jill Mastrano."

The gasps that filled the room were nearly deafening. None of us could believe it. That little Jill could be Lissa's sister was insane.

"Not Jailbait?!" Adrian exclaimed, which drew my attention to Katia, sitting just far enough away from him on the chaise to seem uncomfortable and looking confused.

"I feel like I'm missing something here…" Katia said quietly and Dimitri jumped in.

"Jill went to school with Vasilisa. They were friends," he said, and Katia nodded quietly.

I reached over and put a hand on Lissa's arm. "Are you okay Liss?" I whispered.

"I think so… I just need some time." I could tell from the bond that she was about to cry so I nudged Christian and urged him to get her out of there.

"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered to Tatiana as she fled the room. It was echoing silence for a few seconds before Tatiana spoke up again.

"I'm going to send someone to bring the girl here to court as soon as possible. Giving Lissa the quorum is the best chance we have of stopping the age law and finding a sensible way to appease the radical forces on the court. I've spoken with her parents myself, her mother wanted to be the one to tell her. Do any of you have an idea of who should go?"

"Adrian?" I ventured.

"No, I think it should be Christian. He was friends with her too and he knows Lissa best. It seems like the best choice." He replied.

"I'll text him now then." I said and pulled out my phone.

"I know it's late and this news has to be a lot for you all to take in. I believe I'll retire now and allow you all to get some rest." She nodded to us and swept out of the room before any of us could respond.

"Well then, I guess we should be going." Dimitri said and we all stood.

"See you tomorrow." Adrian said before running off and Dimitri and I shared a confused look.

"Are two doing alright, Katia? He seemed upset." I asked her.

"It's nothing, just a tiff. We'll work things out eventually." She turned to Dimitri, "Abena showed up today in the middle of dinner with Dree."

"I take it he didn't take it well?"

"Not at all. Rose, Dimka can tell you the story later. I'm going to head to bed now, see you guys in the morning." She gave us a quick hug and left just as fast as Adrian did.

"Well this was a strange night. You can tell me that story when we get into bed. Well, maybe a little after we get to bed." I winked at him and he groaned.

"Oh Roza, what am I going to do with you?"

**A/N: Hello my darling dear readers! It's been soooo long since I've updated and for that I'm very sorry. I got out of my writers block and I'm going to do my best to take time out of my crazy college schedule to write, maybe in between major papers or on weekends or something. I want to thank everyone who has kept up with this story, I do have a plan and it will get finished! My plans are for 25 chapters including epilogue, just so you all know. **


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